on creating polls

[keoni]

Just a quick observation... Polls are getting a lot of use on the forums lately, which is nice... but I think the results of these polls would be more relavent, and more people would be comfortable voting in them, if the pollsters put additional thought into how the options are phrased.

Usually the person posting the poll has a strong opinion on the subject, which is what motivated them to post the poll thread to begin with. But if that strong opinion affects how you word the poll, then it can turn off people who might otherwise agree with you. If it's clear by how you phrase things that you're starting with a prejudice, and looking for a statistic, then folks such as myself- and perhaps the folks from Nevrax that read the forums - aren't going to take the poll or the results as seriously as they might have otherwise. If your phrasing gets extreme enough, it can end up being a "push poll" - a trick political operatives use, where they aren't really looking for poll results, they're just trying to affect people's opinions on their issues by how they present their "poll."

So, some suggestions: Try to tone down the rhetoric. If the "I agree with this" option makes it sound like they love that option so much they want to have its love-child, you may want to dial it down a bit. Start off by removing the exclamation marks, perhaps. If your only "neutral" option is "I don't care" or words to that effect - then you exclude the people who *do* care but don't have a strong opinion on the issue, or can see merit in both sides of the argument. Lastly, I think it would help if the pollster tried to think through the range of possible opinions - from strong agreement to strong disagreement - and gave a poll choice for each of these shades of gray.

[basicart]

Why not make a poll about how you think polls should be hosted and see what the comunity thinks?

[dam23]

beat me on this one

[keoni]

Why not make a poll about how you think polls should be hosted and see what the comunity thinks?

Because I was giving my advice and opinion based on my experience, and my opinions don't weathervane to communal thinking. People are welcome to disagree with me, on this and on all things, but I'm going to continue to take the time to make constructive criticism when/if I feel I have something of value to add to a discussion. Cheers.

[basicart]

"mmmmm pies"

[bf649ztp]

I feel that Keoni is most wise and should be placed on a very high throne for all to admire and learn from, Those who agree.......
Very very well said Keoni.

[caitiff]

Just a quick observation...

Agreed. Following this will help validate polls more so.

[vinnyq]

Here's an example of a good poll. Follow its lead!

http://www.ryzom.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14286

aand, this thread brings back some memories

http://www.ryzom.com/forum/showthread.p ... light=poll

[ayurveda]

I think it deserves a sticky

[dazman76]

Well said Keoni

Also better coherence between question and answer would be nice - for example if the question states "Do you play with sound on or off?", the answers should NOT start with "yes" or "no" (Sorry Dam but it was a good example, I see you've edited the actual question at some point )

Have a good think about your question before making a poll, and make sure it fits with the answers - or the first replies you'll receive will be "I'd like to vote but I'm not sure which choice to make..."